Drinking-cup holder.



rTED STATESUFATENT GFFCE.

CYRUS A. BRYANT, OF PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO V. M. SALES CO., OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

DRINKING-CUP HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Application filed October 17, 1911. Serial No. 655,119.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CYRUs A. BRYANT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Passaic, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Drinking-Cup Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved drinking cup holder', more especially designed for holding a large number of superimposed flat drinking cups of paraiin paper or like material, and for permitting convenient removal one by one of the cups as required for use by persons at public drinking fountains and other water supplies.

F or the purpose mentioned, use is made of a box provided at the front lower edge with a slit for the removal of the lowermost of the drinking cups contained in the said box and arranged one on top of the other, the front of the box being provided adjacent the said slit with a thumb recess and at the bott-om with a recess adjacent the slit for the passage of the foretinger to permit of conveniently removing the lowermost drinking cup from the cups in the said box, and a supporting frame removably held in the said box for supporting a pile of drinking cups, the said supporting frame being preferably made of wire bent to form an inclined bottom, rear legs and a. back forming a handle for the insertion or removal of the frame.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the drinking cup holder; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same; Fig. 3 is a like view of the upper end of the drinking cup holder with the box open and the supporting frame raised for loading the frame with drinking cups; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the supporting frame; and Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of part of the drinking cup holder.

A box A for containing superimposed flat drinking cups B is approximately square in cross section, and the upper open end of the box is normally closed by a removable cover C, preferably made to slide on the upper end of the box A.

The drinking cups B are preferably made of keystone shape and are supported by a supporting fralne D held removably in the box A. The lower front edge of the box A is provided with a slit E for the passage of the lowermost drinking cup B', and to the slit E leads a thumb notch or recess F cut in the lower middle portion of the front A of the box A, and to the slit E also leads a notch or recess G formed in the middle front portion of the bottom A2 of the box A. By the arrangement described, the thumb of the user of the drinking cup holder can be placed against the front ends of the lowermost drinking cups B at the notch or recess F, and the foretinger of the user can be passed through the notch G to engage the under side of the lowermost drinking cup D to allow the user to conveniently remove the lowermost drinking cup B from the pile of drinking cups contained in the box A.

The supporting frame D is preferably formed from a single piece of wire bent to form a bottom, legs and a back, the bottom being inclined rearwardly and upwardly and having side members D, the front ends of which are adapted to rest on the bottom A2 of the box A, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2.

AThe front ends of the side members D terminate in rearwardly and diagonally-extending members D2 crossing each other and terminating at their rear ends in legs D3 adapted to rest on the bottom A2 in the rear portion of the box A. The rear ends of the side members D terminate in legs D* also adapted to rest on the bottom A2 in the rear of the box A, and the said legs terminate at their lower ends in upwardly-extending side members D5 forming part of the back of the supporting frame, the side members being connected with each other at their upper ends by a cross bar D0 forming a handle for lifting or lowering the supporting frame D in the box A. The portion of the side members D5 of the back of the supporting frame D, immediately above the rear upper end of the bottom of the frame D is curved for wai-illy so thatI the lowerniostv drinking cups are held in the desired inclined position, and

are thus forced forwardly toward the front A of the box A.

It is understood that the lowermost drinking cup B rests on the inclined bottom of the supporting frame D and registers with its front end with the slit E, so that a person making use of the thumb andforefinger of one hand at the notches or recesses F and G can press with the thumb the drinking cups above the lowermost one B rearwardly, while the lowermost drinking cup B is drawn forward with the forefinger engaging the under side of this lowermost drinking cup. Thus by the arrangement described the drinking cups above the lowermost' one B are slightly pressed backward while a forward pull is exerted on the lowermost one B', so that only the latter is Withdrawn at a time, thatis, the drinking cups are removed singly one after the other from the box A.

By arranging the members D and D2 forming the bottom of the supporting frame D in t-he manner described, the forefinger is not liable to come in contact with the said support-ing frame as the diagonally-arranged members D2 leave the notch or recess Gr wholly unobstructed to permit the foretinger to take hold of the under side of the lowermost drinking cup B'.

By providing the supporting frame D with the side members D5 reaching to the top of the box A, the supporting frame can be readily raised or lowered to allow of placing the drinking cups B in position on the supporting frame D when the latter is in an uppermost position as indicated in Fig. 3.

It is understood that after a bunch of drinking cups B has been placed in the frame D then the frame is lowered to permit of conveniently placing another bunch of drinking cups on top of the first bunch, and this operation is repeated until the supporting frame D is completely lowered and the box A is filled with drinking cups, as indicated in Fig. 2.

In filling the box A with drinking cups in the manner described, the lowermost ones are inclined upwardly and rearwardly while the drinking cups at the top of the pile lie horizontally but gradually assume an inclined position as the drinking cups pass downward on removal of the lowermost ones in the manner above set forth, and owing to the fact that the small or bot-tom ends of the drinking cups have an additional thickness or fold.

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A drinking cup holder, comprising a box provided at the lower front edge with a slit for the removal of the lowermost of the flat drinking cups contained in the box one on top of the other, the front and bottom of the box having recesses leading to the slit for the insertion of the thumb and foreinger for the removal of the lowermost drinking cup, and a supporting frame removably held in the said box and provided with a rearwardly and upwardly-inclined bottom,. legs depending at the rear of the inclined bottom, and a back rising from he rear of the said bottom to the top of the 2. A drinking cup holder, comprising a box provided at the lower front edge with a slit for the removal of the lowermost of the flat'drinking cups contained in the box one on top of the other, the front and bottom of the box having recesses leading to the slit for the insertion of the thumb and forefinger for the removal of the lowermost drinking cup, and a supporting frame removably held in the said box and provided with a rearwardly and upwardly inclined bottom, legs depending at the rear of theinclined bottom, and a back rising from the rear of the said bottom to the top of the box, the said back having its lower portion curved forwardly.

3. A drinking cup holder, comprising a box provided at the lower front edge with a slit for the removal of the lowermost of the Hat drinking cups contained in the box one on top of the other, the front and bottom of the box having recesses leading to the slit for the insertion of the thumb and foretinger for the removal of the lowermost drinking cup, and a supporting frame removably held in t-he said box and formed of a single piece of Wire bent to form a bottom, legs and a back, thebottom being inclined upwardly and rearwardly, side members, and diagonal crossing members, the said Side and diagonal members terminating in the said legs and the said back having side members and a top cross bar connecting the side members with each other at the top, the said back side members terminating at their lower ends in the legs of the said bottom side members.

4. A drinking cup holder, comprising a box provided at the lower front edge with a slit for the removal of the lowermost of the fiat drinking cups contained in the box one on top of the other, the front and bottom of the box having recesses leading to the slit for the insertion of the thumb and foreinger for the removal of the lowermost drinking cup, and a supporting frame removably held in the said box and formed of a single piece of wire bent to form a bottom, legs and a back, the bottom being inclined upwardly and rearwardly, side members, and diagonal crossing members, the said side and diagonal members terminating in the said legs and the said back having side members and a cross bar connecting the side members with each other In testimony whereof I have signed my at the top, the said back side members tername to this specieation in the presence of minating at their lower ends in the legs of two subscribing witnesses.

the said bottom side members7 and the said CYRUS A. BRYANT. back side members being curved forwardly lVitnesses:

above the rear upper portion of the said THEO. G. HOSTER,

bottom. PHILP D. ROLLHAUS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

